Rennie Mackintosh and Art Nouveau

Like Florence in 16th century in Italy under the Medici ruling, Glasgow in 19th century was the one of the most powerful and wealthiest city of English Empire.

In the beginning of 18th century when Scotland turned to the Atlantic, Glasgow, as west coast city, was ideally placed for shipment of merchandise between England and colonies of New World and America. Glasgow was supplying United Kingdom as the rest of Europe in some quantities of products such as tobacco, for example.

Next, in 19th century, during the Industrial Revolution city grew in power and became more richer with many of millionaires fortunes. Expansion of successive sectors of industry like textile production, glass-making, soap-making and  lastly, shipbuilding and locomotive construction caused increase of number of many factories as a consequence of population and thousands of new jobs. Its huge industrial impact had a reflection in artistic and cultural ambition of the city. Inspired by Arts and crafts movement of William Morris, many of rich citizens and representatives of middle and upper-middle classes were interested in art and craftsmanship objects and other once wealthiest citizens, families or institution were able to became patronages for artists or gifted persons.

The most remarkable public institution at that time in Europe was The Glasgow School of Art, founded in 1845 as Government School of Design had an ambition to participate and develop new artistic trends and support modern artistic ideas.  Philosophic, cultural, social and artistic activity of William Morris in 19th century changed approach to art, importance of artists and art as a whole in contemporary world. Lots of artists and craftsmen at the end of 19th century came from the whole Europe provoked by his Arts and Crafts movement ideas and began to research their own artistic inspiration in natural world, organic forms and clarity of design.

New style developed in many countries of the modern Europe as fresh and dynamic directions of applied art. Just during 30 years, period between 1880 and 1914, new art exploded in works of many artists like Gustav Klimt and Koloman Moser in Austria, Herman Obrist in Germany, Antonio Gaudi in Spain, Hector Guimard, Victor Horta or Emile Galle in Switzerland, Belgium and France, Louis Sullivan in United States and Arthur Mackmurdo, Charles Ashbee and Charles Rennie Mackintosh in Britain. Charles Rennie Mackintosh had contact main ideas of Art Nouveau from the earliest years of his life, as a young boy and next as a student of The Glasgow School of Art, which recognised his as great talent, individualist who represent modern ideas and lastly developed his own, personal style named latter as Mackintosh style or Glasgow style as a consequence of his activity in group ‘The Four’, which represented same artistic ideas, collaborated in The Glasgow School of Art by him, together with Herbert MacNair and sisters MacDonald, from whom Margaret, became his wife in 1900. Similar to main principles of Art Nouveau, his design was influenced by nature with organic lines derived from flowers, shells, bird feathers, insect wings, abstract forms based on this sources but also Japanese influence with simple, linear and clear, even symbolic, in remittance forms.

His, first, great architectural commission was bundling of The Glasgow School of Art as exterior as interiors in which, Mackintosh contained the most important principles of his own style. Architecture of Macintosh was based mainly on vertical lines, simple geometrical forms connected with subtle, restrain used, organic details with his favourite elements of rosebuds to act often with female figures as on the roundel above. Similar participles could be seen in his latter buildings like Windyhill or The Hill House. Mackintosh’s interiors were specified by individual palette, his own colours palette, different from existing classical proportions, architectural and decorative details. Rooms of Mackintosh were described as ‘white’, but in many cases despite of white colour neutral shades were also used, ivory with strong contrast with dark, brown or black furniture or other architectural, mainly wood or casted iron elements. Classical proportion, dado-middle-frieze was replaced by simple division of walls where main contrast between wall and top of the wall connected with ceiling gave the line described by top edge of windows or entrances. Simplicity of his interiors was based on clarity of form and practical function of the rooms as a result they were light, nostalgic, with necessary equipment spaces but, sometimes, function of the rooms gave impressive effect like in case of library in The Glasgow School of Art, where a structure of wood and iron beams in dark colours, inspired Japanese construction to achieve suitable atmosphere of drama and mystery is dominative. Indispensable elements of his interiors were stencilled decorations used on small and large scale. This elements gave rhythmical composition in each case.

As mentioned before, curvilinear forms connected with rosebuds and female figures were painted or sometimes geometrical, graphic elements as squares or strips were used. Repetition of decoration elements like stencilling or glass panels were as important features of his interiors as organised space with use of focal points in forms of gesso panels, designed and created very often together with his wife Margaret MacDonald, or flat fireplaces without traditional mantelpieces. Furniture of Mackintosh was made mainly from oak, was never left on its own appearance, it was painted in brown or black or enamelled in white suggesting plastic surface. Shapes were simple, with restrain, flat decoration, in case of well-known chairs or tables almost with geometrical form based on vertical lines, sometimes contrasted by organic delicate elements in subtle shades of green, rose, purple, silver or gold. Art Nouveau embodied all the aspects of visual art and art of everyday life, then designer activity of Mackintosh included all the interiors elements, home decoration objects and textiles as well.

Rennie Macintosh died in 1928, several years after transformation of Art Nouveau into different art direction as Art Deco and next followed by modern art, but his artistic heritage is still existing in our rooms as some of his furniture produced by Cassina company but first of all as modern designing principles based on his genius.

About the Author

Christopher Adach

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